Winows family operating systems are leading in the computer market. But sometimes it becomes necessary to use third-party and free software due to personal preferences or the inability to purchase a license for Windows. In this case, the Linux OS comes to the rescue. But not all of them differ in friendly interfaces and extensive documentation. And the latter, if present, is often only in English, which not everyone can boast of. But, unlike closed-source software, Linux systems have the ability to be much more widely configured for a specific user. The article describes in detail the features of the ArchLinux installation and about this system as a whole.
ArchLinux. Installation and setup
There is a very interesting operating system from the Linux family. It is called ArchLinux. Its unusualness lies in the fact that, unlike batch “ubunt-like” systems, ArchLinux can be customized for itself to the last “screw”. True, this requires remarkable knowledge in this area, which often scares beginners. And in general, the whole system, unlike package distributions, is designed for a very experienced user of "Linux-like" systems, who can work with the command line and terminal. Installing and configuring ArchLinux is very different from the process of installing other OSs. And in this article we will analyze all the stages of installing the ArchLinux OS.
General information about ArchLinux
ArchLinux is an offshoot of the very minimal CRUX OS. This OS was popular among fans of building the system from source and maximally “sharpening” it for themselves. Unlike the “parent” OS, ArchLinux does not require the user to compile kernels and build dependencies. It can be installed using a regular graphical manager. Although the installation of ArchLinux starts from the command line. But more about that below.
At the moment, there are two branches of the development of the ArchLinux OS: stable and current. In stable, a stable version of the operating system with proven programs is used. However, updates for her have to wait a very long time. For lovers of the most “fresh” there is a current branch. Updates are not late here, but system stability is somewhat lame. Installing ArchLinux programs in it also causes some difficulties and errors. Experienced archivers (as ArchLinux users are called on slang) are advised to use a stable version of the OS. It may not be entirely relevant, but stability is paramount.
The trouble with ArchLinux is the lack of installation documentation in the distribution itself. There are only general recommendations intended for advanced users of the Linux family of OS. And they are all in English. True, some of them are translated by enthusiasts. So installing ArchLinux for beginners is a rather difficult task, we will analyze it in more detail.
Preparation for the procedure
The first step is to create a bootable USB stick with the ArchLinux distribution. To do this, we need to download the ISO-image of the OS from the official website of the project. An image with ArchLinux can be of two types: full and basic. The difference is in the size of the image and the number of programs available “out of the box”. The full image "weighs" about 600 MB, and the basic - only 200 MB. It is better to use the full version of the installation disk.
After downloading, you need to select a program to write the distribution to a USB-drive. If you use Windows, then the best option for this purpose is to take the program Rufus. It can be downloaded for free, it does not require installation. Run Rufus and select the downloaded disk image from the OS. Click the "Start" button. During recording, the USB drive will be formatted and renamed to ArchLinux. Installation on a flash drive, in principle, is completed. Now you can reboot and try to install the OS on the computer.
Installer Launch
After all the manipulations with the boot order in the BIOS, we start downloading ArchLinux from a USB flash drive. As mentioned above, step-by-step installation of ArchLinux is in many respects different from the same process of batch OS. Therefore, it is important to consider all the details and features.
The first thing we'll see is the command line. To start the graphical installer, you need to type the command $ / arch / setup. After that, the installer window will appear. There are menu items that reflect all stages of the installation process:
- disk preparation;
- package selection;
- installation of packages;
- kernel installation;
- system configuration;
- bootloader installation;
- exit.
If even a beginner can cope with most sections of the menu, then even advanced users will have to sweat with the “Kernel installation” item. That is why installing ArchLinux is not easy for beginners.
Disk preparation
The process of "partitioning" the disk for ArchLinux is somewhat different from the requirements of partitions of other batch Linux operating systems. The easiest way is to let the program itself partition the disk. In this case, automation knows better what exactly is needed for the system. However, if the necessary files are available on the HDD, you will have to do manual partitioning so as not to lose them forever. Installing ArchLinux begins with this.
When manually partitioning the disk, you need to create the following partitions:
- root partition labeled /;
- partition / usr;
- partition / opt;
- partition / var;
- partition / var / abs;
- partition / var / cache / pkg;
- partition / var / cache / src;
- section "/ home".
Now consider what they are all for.
The root partition must be at least one gigabyte. It is in it that ArchLinux is installed. The / usr section is a “swap” swap file for improving system performance. Therefore, it should be equal to the amount of installed RAM, multiplied by two.
The / opt section is used to host such voluminous files as QT libraries, X's, and other files of the operating shell of the OS. Its size should be approximately 4 GB.
Partitions marked / var are used to place various system information in order to prevent root clutter.
Well, the / home section is used to store the user's personal data. The preferred file system for all partitions is ext3.
System installation
ArchLinux installation is divided into several stages. The first is the selection and configuration of packages. If you have no idea which of them should be noted specifically for your computer, then just leave all the default values. After analyzing the hardware, the program itself will decide what is needed and what is not. During the installation of packages, a bootloader will also be installed. In ArchLinux, GRUB is the default.
The next step is to install the system kernel. It is also better to rely on automatic selection and tuning. The only thing that will have to be noted on your own is the type of kernel for your hardware. If you have a PC with SCSI technology, then you need to choose this type.
After successful installation of the kernel, the time will come to configure the OS. Here you are invited to configure the system using the editing of text configuration files. This is better not to do, because you can easily "hang" the system during installation. Configuring ArchLinux after installation is the most appropriate option, since it is much easier to do everything using a graphical environment.
Configure ArchLinux
After rebooting the system, it is required to determine its main parameters. The preferred working environment for ArchLinux is KDE. That is what we will deliver. To do this, type pacman –S kde at the command prompt. After loading the graphical shell, the system configuration will go faster. Now we need to install at least the Mozilla Firefox browser to gain knowledge about the fine sharpening of ArchLinux after installation. To do this, run the following command: pacman –S firefox. Now you can easily learn about the secrets of OS parameters from the “great and powerful” Google.
Software installation
It is not so simple. Since ArchLinux does not support the graphical installer of software packages, you will have to install them manually through the command line using the pacman tool. Thanks to some commands, you can get all the necessary software. So, the main command for installing programs is pacman –S package_name. To update already installed, you need to enter the pacman –Syi command. This is how the software is installed. ArchLinux in this regard is much more complex than ubunt-like systems.
ArchLinux and Steam
Steam is a working environment for purchasing and installing games for Linux. It is also available for Windows. In the Steam program, you can buy and install various games. Moreover, there are also "native" versions for Linux. Installing Steam on ArchLinux requires some additional manipulations, which we will now analyze.
The problem is that Steam does not have official ArchLinux support. Therefore, before executing the installation command, you must first add some repositories and fonts. If you have a 64-bit system, then you need to download the multilib repository, and after it - the Arial font, since Steam uses it. You can get it using the pacman –S ttf-liberation command. After that, you can start installing the "Steam" itself using the pacman –S steam command.
Conclusion
Now we know how to properly install and configure ArchLinux. Of course, the process is quite complicated, it requires a lot of free time. It is up to you to decide whether such an operating system is really needed. Moreover, we even considered such a “scary” thing as installing Steam on ArchLinux. Of course, it will not be useful to many. But if you are a gamer, then this information is definitely useful. In general, ArchLinux is a good OS for adding to your knowledge base.
If you are not afraid of difficulties in the process of mastering the new, then ArchLinux will be to your taste. And while the brainchild of Microsoft Corporation is still leading the market, open source software is gaining more and more popularity every year.